The IQ2 Mountain Festival

The IQ² Mountain Festival was a one-evening exploration of what mountains represent to humanity. From mountains’ place in literature to how they shape history, from providing sublime nourishment for the soul to fuelling mountaineers’ addiction to vertigo, the festival combined the IQ² tradition of debate and discussion with film, photography and literature.

The pursuit of fear

Starlight and Storm by Gaston Rébuffat (1999)

Gaston Rébuffat isn't as well known these days, but at one time, he was a household word in the outd...
A Slender Thread by Stephen Venables (2001)

While on the descent of Panchu Chilu V, a remote Himalayn peak, Stephen Venables takes a 300 foot f...
Conquistadors of the Useless by Lionel Terray (2000)

Lionel Terray was a prominent French mountaineer in mid 1900s. Conquistadors is a compilation of st...
Kilimanjaro by Bella Pollen
Why do we climb? An album by Alexandre Buisse

4 min 1 sec

'Pecha Kucha' talks

Ed Douglas on Everest and the media

11 min 18 sec
Alexandre Buisse on the challenges of mountain photography

7 min 47 sec
George Band on the Mount Everest Foundation

5 min 1 sec
Kenton Cool on Everest and adventure

3 min 4 sec
Peter Baily on mountains and spirituality

11 min 7 sec
Louise Turner on mountains, danger, and fear

6 min 34 sec
Doug Scott: "Why do I climb?"

8 min 1 sec

Is true adventure still possible?

Ed Douglas: Mount Everest - A not so novel feat

So many people, and celebrities, are conquering Everest that it's more resort than wilderness. But N...
Walking the Great Himalayan Trail (photo album)

Travellers can now walk the entire first section of the Great Himalayan Trail, stretching the length...
Doug Scott's photography

Doug Scott has made 45 expeditions to the high mountains of Asia. He has reached the summit of 40 pe...
Kenton Cool is Master of the Mountains by Victoria Stewart

Packing for a trip up Mount Everest, most people would reach for oxygen cylinders, crampons, snacks ...
Panel discussion: Has Everest killed the spirit of adventure?

39 min 4 sec
Keynote speech: Stephen Venables on adventure and the unknown

27 min 31 sec
Dream Guides blog (Kenton Cool)

Read Kenton Cool's blog in the aftermath of his record-breaking achievement of summiting Everest eig...

The pursuit of fear

Starlight and Storm by Gaston Rébuffat (1999)

Gaston Rébuffat isn't as well known these days, but at one time, he was a household word in the outd...
A Slender Thread by Stephen Venables (2001)

While on the descent of Panchu Chilu V, a remote Himalayn peak, Stephen Venables takes a 300 foot f...
Conquistadors of the Useless by Lionel Terray (2000)

Lionel Terray was a prominent French mountaineer in mid 1900s. Conquistadors is a compilation of st...
Kilimanjaro by Bella Pollen
Why do we climb? An album by Alexandre Buisse

4 min 1 sec

Blending terror & pleasure

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (1998)

While on a descent of a cutting-edge climb of a South American peak, Simpson falls and breaks his le...
Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage by Herman Buhl (1998)

In 1953, Hermann Buhl achieved one of the great feats in mountaineering. While on a German-Austrian...
The dangers of free solo climbing

3 min 4 sec

Women & mountaineering

First British woman up Everest - Rebecca Stephens

6 min 51 sec
The Seven Summits of Success by Rebecca Stephens and Robert Heller (2005)

When Rebecca Stephens first formed her goal of climbing Everest she was a young journalist with hard...
Bonita Norris Scales Everest (with Kenton Cool)

No room at the top in Everest rush hour. That may, of course, be an exaggeration but it's true that ...
On Top of the World by Rebecca Stephens (2003)

In May 1993, Rebecca Stephens became the first British woman to climb Everest. Not only a book about...